Sculling-propeller for vessels.



Ry]. LACKNER.

SCULLING PROPELLER FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 20. 1913i 1,10,?9. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. JfLACKNER.

SCULLING PROPELLER FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT, 20. ms.

mwz. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- R. J. LACKNER.

SCULLING PROFELLER FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED 00120, 1913.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4- I ZJZ/dGkW? Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

NITE RUDOLPH J. LACKNEB, OF NEW YORK, N". Y.

SCULLINGr-PROPELLER FOR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Application filed; October 20, 1913. Serial No. 796,289.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH J. LACKNER, subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sculling-Propellers for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to propelling mech anism and particularly to propelling mechanism for use on ships, boats, or as means for propelling air craft.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of improved propelling mechanism for boats, etc., of a particularly simple and elficient character.

A further object of my invention is to provide propelling mechanism. soconstructed as to secure a sculling action as distinguished from the action of the ordinary screw propeller.

A further object is to provide a propeller for craft of all sorts constructed on the principle of the sculling blade and to provide mechanism whereby the sculling blade may be operated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of sculling blades arranged to move across each other to thereby secure a continuous propulsion of thevessel.

Still another object is to provide. a propeller for vessels consisting of one or more sculling blades, each sculling blade being pivoted at one end and having its free end swinging transversely and to provide means whereby these sculling blades may be operated. 7

Still another object is to provide in connection with a boat or other vessel one or more sculling blades and to provide a casing within which said blades operate.

Still another object is to provide in com nection with the sculling blades before mentioned, blade centralizing devices pivotally connected to the sculling blades.

A further object is to provide in connection with sculling blades for propelling a vessel or like craft forward, means for reversing the movement of the vessel.

Still another object is the provision of sculling blades so constructed that they will have not only a movement transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vessel but that they shall also have a rocking movement whereby to secure a more perfect sculling action.

Further objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

a Figure l is a side elevation of a motor boat showing one form of my improved propeller applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the rear end of a boat with my improved sculling propellers in place thereon, the mechanism for operating the propellers being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the propellers shown in Fig. 3, the walls of the sculling case being partly in section. Fig.

5 is a perspective-view of a modified form of sculling propeller. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 3 but showing by arrows the currents created by the movement of the propeller blades. Fig. 7 is a like View to Fig. 6 but on a smaller scale and shows a modification of the'construction shown in Figs. 3 and 6. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one of the blades and centralizers shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a series of sectionalviews taken across one of the sculling blades to show the various sections which a sculling blade may have. Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view of the rear end of the motor boat showing the meansshowing the means for rotatably adjusting the blades shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 14

' ing the blades. Fig. 16 is a transverse section of the arrangement shown in Fig. 15. Fig. 17 is a detail viewof a modified form of blade adapted to be used in the construc- 50 yokes are longitudinally slotted as at and are supported at top and bottom of the I a motor boat or other vessel. WVhile I have illustrated my improved sculling. apparatus applied to a motor beat, it is to be understood that it may be applied to vessels of all types and that it may also be applied for the propulsion of air craft if desired.

The vessel A may be of any suitable form and is provided with engines B shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which may be ofany suitable, type. At the stern of the vessel is the scull compartment or case designated 2-. 'The'rear' end of thls compartment is open and in plan view the compartment 1s approximately diamondshaped, the'rear end of the diamond being truncated. As illustrated in Figs. 3and *1 there is disposed in this compartment one pair or a plurality of pairs of sculling blades. As illustrated r in Figs. 3 and t and in Fig. 2, there is one pair of blades 3,-one of these blades being designated 3 to distinguish it from the opposite blade 3. The blade 3 is disposed on a higher level than the blade 3 so that the blades may move past each other trans versely of the longitudinal axis ofthe boat. The forward ends of the blades are pivoted upon a common pivot, as for instance, upon the bolt 4, the'forward ends of the blades beingformed with knuckles 5 for this purpose- The blades are designed to shift entirelyacross the width of the scull case 2' so that when so reciprocated the blade 3 for instance, will take-the position of the blade?) in Fig. 2, whilethe blade'3 will take the position of the blade 3 7 Preferably each blade is pivotally attached at its-rear end to a blade centralizer 6; There are two of these blade centralizers, one for each blade, and the 'rear ends of these centralizers are pivoted to aJeommon pivot pin, as for instance, the bolt 7- As illustrated, this bolt 7 passes down through a guide yoke 8 and at its lower end passes through a like guide yoke 9. These guide rear opening of the scull case 2. The longitudinali slot 10 permits the pintle bolt 7' to reclprocatebut holds this pintle bolt in a vertlcal plane coincident with the vertical aXis of the vessel. As illustrated, a rudder 11 is also hingedly supported in any'suitable manner upon the guide yokes 8 and 9, thisrudder being shown-as provided with the outwardly projecting rudder arms 12 whereby it may be operated. his to be understood, however, that the particular form ofrudder or the particular mechanism for operating it forms no part of my present invention. The blades 3 and 3 are adapted to be shifted transversely across the scull chamber or case 2 by any suitable means and I have shown for this purpose the eccentrics or crank disks 13, each mounted upon a. shaft 1 1 which shaft carries the beveled gear 15 driven by means of a beveled gear 16 mounted upon a. longitudinal shaft 17. There is a drive mechanism for each blade. As illustrated, these shafts extend forward and are 'operatively connected to the engine B. Each propeller blade 3 or 3 is operatively connected to its corresponding eccentric 13 by means of a connecting rod 18. It will be obvious, therefore, that the rotation of the shafts 17 will cause a transverse oscillation of the blades 3 and 3 and a transverse oscillation of the centralizers 6. As illustrated, each of the sculling blades is connected to its corresponding 'centralizer 6 by means of a'hinged joint and a pintle 19 but the particular form of this joint may be modified without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

The blades 3 and 3 may have any desired cross sectional form and a number of such forms are illustrated in Fig. 9. These forms are fully disclosed and, therefore, require no special description and it will be understood that the cross sectional form of the blade will depend upon the work to be done-or the circumstances of' use. In all the other figures of the drawings the I-beam type of'blade has been illustrated for the sake of simplicity.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a form of my invention which is practically the same as that shown in Figs. 3 and l but in which there are a pair of blades on each side. In this figure, 20 and '20 designate the upper and lower blades respectively of one pair and 20 and 20 designate the corresponding blades of the opposite pair. It will be seen that the blades of one pair are vertically spaced from each other and the blades of the otherpair are also spaced from each other and interposed between the blades of the first pair. All of the blades are formed at their forward ends with the knuckles 5 through which passes the pintle pin 1. To the rear end of each blade is hingedly connected a centralizer 6, these centralizers being pivotally or hingedly connected to each other by means of the pintle or pivot pin 7". While the yokes 8 and 9 are not shown in Fig. 5, it is to be understood, of course, that the pintle 7 extends-through the yokes in exactly the same manner as is illustrated in Fig. 4 so as to permit a longitudinal reciprocation of the pintle 7 to permit the oscillation of the blades.

In Fig. 1 I show a construction very similar to that illustrated in Fig.4 but in which the blades 21 are vertically spaced from each other a distance sulticient to accommodate the "longitudinally extending propeller shaft 22. This propeller shaft is driver.

pose of reversing the movement of (the vessel, it being plain that with only one set on sculling blades disposedin the stern of the boat it will be impossible to move the vessel rearward.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated diagrammatically the action of the sculling blades illustrated in Fig. 3, it being understood, however, that the action is precisely the same for the construction shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 6 it is assumed that the blades are moving laterally outward in the direction of the arrows and that to take the position shown in Fig. 6 the blades 3 and 3 have shifted toward each other to a median position and then shifted outward in the same direction until the blade 3 is on the port side of the boat and the-blade 3 on the starboard side of the boat. As the blades move toward each other, that is; move from the position shown in Fig. 3 to a median position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the water will be I compressed in the space between the blades other and such median position and commence to move away from each other, water will be drawn into thespaee between the blades and the water between the blades and the sides of the scull case or-cha-mber will be forced outward as illustrated by the arrows in Fig. 6. i

It is thus to be seen that power is secured by the sculling blades being forced across each other and pulled back again, each blade operating in the manner of a fish s tail or the tail of an eel and two or more blades operating analogously to the tails of a plurality of :fish or eels moving, however, in opposite directions- By disposing of the :seulling blades within an inclosed scull case or chamber I prevent dragging and produce a steady and continuous straight-ahead drive. Furthermore, by inclosing the sculls within the case or chamber 2 I obtain not only the compression of the water on the side toward which the blade is moving but the suction on theopposite side of the blade assists almost as much as the compression of the water to propel the boat or ship forward. T his .is caused by the suction of the moving blade compelling water to flow into the scull case or chamber 2 the iii-flowing water contacts with the wall of the scull case, forcing the boat ion ward. This action is particularly effective and not only is a great increase in speed secured but this increase is secured :at a saving in fuel and power over present devices. Furthermore, it will be seen that the blade centralizers act to cause a compression of the water force the water rearward. While I do not wish to limit myself to the use of these iblade centralizers I prefer to use them for the purpose of steadying the blades, equalizing their movement, and for the additional eflect secured by the action of the centralizers upon the blades. It will be noted that'the shape 0% the chamber or case 2 conforms to the shape taken by the blades when they are opened out and that when these blades are opened out, that is; in the position s'h-ownin-Fig. 6 or Fig. 2, a wide outlet is provided for the water so that there is no choking action and that the same outlet is practically secured when the blades move into ali-nement with each other at their median position.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated diagrammatically another form of my invention which operates, however, on exactly the same priciple as the one heretofore described. In this form, however, the blades 2O are not pivotally or hingedly mounted at their forward ends upon a common hinge pintle but each is mounted on a separate pintle designated 23. lhe members 24: in this form of the invention :are mounted at their rear ends each in a separate yoke 25 by means of a vertical pintle 26. So far as the action of the blades go, however, propulsion of the boat is socured in precisely the same manner as for the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 6. In the position shown in Fig. 7, the blades are approximately at their median position, the port blade moving over to starboard while the starboard blade is moving over to port, the blades, however, having not yet crossed. The blades are intended to be oscillated by precisely the same mechanism il'ier-etoitore described.

In some cases it is desirable that the blades shall be so formed that they may have a rocking motion as well as an oscillating motion so as to secure a still better sculling action and to this end I have illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8-each blade 20 as formed at its forward end with a forwardly projecting pivot member 27 having a ball 28 at its extremity which its in the socket 29 formed in a ertical member 30 which has free rotation upon the pintle 23. The rear end of each blade 20 is also connected by means of a universal j-ointto the correspondingmember 2%, said member being formed with a socket 31 and the blade 20 with a ball fitting on said socket. I

Sculls pivotally hinged for rotation upon ment of the vessel or backing it, it .Wlll be necessary either to provide a setof my sculling blades at the bow of the boat in addition to the sculling blades disposed at the stern of the boat or to provide a separate propeller capable of being reversed,

such as that illustrated in Fig. 1. I do not, however, limit myself in this matter. 7

'VVhile I am not limited to any particular means for securing the sculling action of the blades, I have illustrated the connecting rod from the eccentric as being attached to the blade at a point above or below its pivotal center so that as the connecting rod moves in one direction it will force, for instance, the lower portion of the blade inward and when it moves in the other direction-will force the lower portion of the blade outward. It will be understood that the connecting rod tov one blade on one side of the boat will be attached above the longitudinalaxis of the bladeand that on the opposite side it will be attached below the longitudinal axis of the blade. i V

While I have illustrated blade centralizers as applied to each one of the blades, I wish it understood that this is not necessary exceptfin' vessels of relatively heavy tonnage or where-great speed is desired and that it is Within my invention to omit these blade centralizers, It will be obvious also that while I have illustrated eccentric disks for the purpose of oscillating the blades, that other means for oscillating the blades might be used. I intend my mechanism to be applied to all types of vessels either floating upon or navigating beneath the Water and V for the propulsion of aeroplanes, aero-hydroplanes and dirigible balloons, or for any other vessel or vehicle to which the device may be applied and that I may propel these vsculls either by hand for small boats or by any desired form of motor or engine. in Figs. 10 and.11,13 and let, I show a boat 7 provided, with oscillating sculling blades, these sculling blades being adapted to be rotated around a central longitudinal axis.. In these figures, 32*clesignates a boat of any ordinary character and having at the stern thereof a well 33 within which the propellingmechanism is illustrated as disposed. ,Rotatably mounted in the stern of the boat is a spherical member 34 having oppositely disposed ears 35- to which the upper and'lower propeller blades 36 and 37 are pivoted by means of a pintle 38.- 1 Passing through the spherical member 34 are the drivingshafts 39 and 40. Each of these driving shafts carries a bevel gear at its rearward end which engages with a bevel gear 42 mounted upon a shaft 43, each shaft 43 carrying an eccentric ll whose eccentric ring 4-5 is connected to one of the propeller blades by means of the connecting rod 46.

It will be obvious now that a rotation of the shafts 39 and 4-0 will cause a rotation of the shafts 43 and a reciprocation of the blades 36 and 37 in opposite directions. Thus when the blade 36 is moving toward the right, the blade 37 will be moving toward the left and the blades will cross each other at the middle plane of the boat.

The spherical member 3% which carries the blades is vadapted either to be continu- The driving shaft upon which the gear -17 is mounted and the shaft upon which the gear i9 is mounted are intended to be driven from a prime mover or engine. When the drum 48 is held from rotation it is obvious that a rotation of the gear a7 will simply act to rotate the. shafts 39 and 40, but when the drum -18 isrotated by means of the pinion 49, it is obvious that not only will the shafts 39 and 40 be rotated around their axes but that they will also rotate around a common axis coincident with the driving shaft upon which the gear a7 is mounted, thus giving a continuous rotation to the blades 36 and 37 around a common longitudinal axis as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 12. If desired, these blades 36 and 37 may be formed of resilient material, the upper edge of the blade 36 being strengthened by means of the reinforced or thickened portion 36, while the blade 37 is strengthened by means of the reinforced or thickened portion 37". Under these circumstances arotation of the blades in the direction of'the arrow, Fig. 12, will cause the blades to flex in the manner shown in Fig. 12 and thus the blades will have somewhat the action of the ordinary propeller as well as the sculling action heretofore stated and the sculling action will be still more analogous to the action of a fishs tail.

The constant rotation of the sculling blades above referred to is particularly intended for use on submarines and is designed to gain an increase in speed, this advantage being due to the fact that as soon as the boat is running .the water engaged by the blades forms a more or less solid massfrom which means.

I the'boat is actually pushed. Hence the con.-

stant rotation of the blades. causes the blades to follow up the current first created by the blades so that no power is wasted.

For the purpose of shifting the blades manually from a vertical to a horizontal position, to facilitate a submarine goingoup or coming down, I provide thesame mechanism previously described but rotate the casing 48 by any suitable manually operated means, as

for instance the worm. 50 mounted upon the shaft 51 and having the crank handle 52. This permits an adjustment of the blades to any required extent. It will be understood that the showing in Fig. 13 is merely to indicate a means for accomplishing the adjustment of the blades and that I may provide any suitable mechanism to this end.

In Fig. 17 I show another form of blade adapted to be used in connection with the construction illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 or in any arrangement where the blade cen- .tralizers 6 are omitted. In this form, the

blade 53 is formed of a plurality of leaves. Thus in the illustration there is a central leaf 54, two leaves 55 disposed one on each side of the central leaf and shorter than the latter and two leaves 56 disposed on the outside of the leaves 55 and shorter than these leaves. Thus the base of the blade is comparatively rigid and the remainder of the blade flexes gradually.

In Figs. 15 and 16 I show another form of sculling mechanism operating on the same principle as that heretofore described but somewhat different in construction. In these figures, 57 designates a casing disposed in the stern of a boat- (and at the bow also if necessary), and passingthrough this casing is a propeller shaft 58 carrving at its end the ordinary propeller 59. This ordinary propeller however may be omitted and is only used for backing up or reversing.

Pivotally mounted at their forward ends within the casing 57 are a plurality of blades 60. As illustrated there are three blades and each of these blades is laterally concavo-conveX, the conveX side of the blade being inward. The blades move outward radially and the casing 57 is so formed, as illustrated in Fig. 16, as to accommodate this outward movement of the blades.

The rear ends of the blades are outwardly moved by means of a reciprocating sleeve 61 mounted upon the shaft 58, this sleeve having links 62 which connect the middle of each blade with the sleeve. It will thus be obvious that a reciprocation of the sleeve 61 will cause an oscillation of the blades (30. As the blades move outward, water will be compressed in the space between the blades and the casing and will be drawn in to the space between the blades themselves. As the blades move reversely or to ward the shaft 58, water will be drawn into the space between the blades andthecasing and expelled from the space between the blades. Thus a continuous propulsion will motor. I do not wish to limit myself to any specific means "for operating these triple sculls. I 7

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. As a means of propelling vessels and the like, a plurality of blades each hingedly mounted at its inner end, centralizers hinged to the outer ends of the blades, and means for independently oscillating said blades and centralizers into or out of alinement with each other in a direction transverseto the length of the vessel.

2. The combination with a vessel, of sculling blades, each pivotally mounted at its inner end, said blades being set in staggered relation to each other, means for oscillating said blades, and blade centralizing members each pivotally connected to the free end of one of the blades, the other end of each blade centralizer being mounted for reciprocation.

3. In a vessel or the like, a sculling case open at one end, a plurality of opposed sculling blades disposed within said case and each hingedly mounted at its forward end for transverse oscillation, blade centralizers, one hinged to each blade, and means for supporting the opposite end of each blade centralizer for reciprocation.

In a vessel or the like, sculling blades disposed in parallel planes, a single-pivot common to all the blades, vertically disposed shafts arranged at opposite sides of said pivot, eccentrics on said shafts, rods connecting said eccentrics with the respectively adjacent blades, and means for rotating said shafts.

5. In a vessel or the like, a sculling case open at one end and closed at the other, the side walls of the sculling case diverging from the open end thereof for a distance and then converging to the inner end of the case, sculling blades disposed in said sculling case, each blade being hingedly mounted at its forward end for transverse oscillation in opposite directions, and blade centralizers, one for each blade, hingedly connected to said blade and supported at its outer end for longitudinal reciprocation.

6. In a vessel, a sculling case, oppositely disposed sculling blades within said case,

theinner ends ofjsaid blades being hingedly mounted for transverse oscillation, the blades being vertically "spaced from each other, and a propeller'shaft passing through said sculling case andbetween said blades and having a propeller at its outer end.

Infa Vessel, a scnlling case having an open'rear end, sculling blades hinged at their forward ends adjacent the forward end of the case, brackets 'mounted at the rear openend of the case andprovided with lon' gitudinal slots, centralizers hinged at their front ends to the rear ends of the sculling blades, pins carried by the rear ends of the centralizers engaging the said longitudinal slots, and means acting upon the sculling blades to oscillate the same and the centralizers respectively connected therewith in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUDOLPH J. LACKNER.

po i ies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, i i '7 I f Washington, D. C. 

